A conventional slide assembly generally includes a first rail and a second rail which is longitudinally and slidably connected to the first rail. An assistance shifting device, such as the “Closing device for drawers” disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,179, is connected to the slide assembly. The closing device includes a support rail having a horizontal web, a pull-out rail longitudinally and slidably connected to the support rail and including a pin member, a guide housing connected to the horizontal web of the support rail and including a guide groove, a tiltable member connected to the guide groove of the guide housing and having an upwardly open slot, and a spring connected to the tiltable member. When the pull-out rail is retracted relative to the support rail, the pin member of the pull-out rail is engaged with the upwardly open slot of the tiltable member so that the tiltable member can be moved within the guide groove by the pull-out rail. The spring applies a force to the tiltable member and the spring force together with the pulling force of the liftable member to automatically retract relative to the support rail.
When the slide assembly is used to a drawer, the drawer has two pull-out rails on two sides thereof and the two insides of the cabinet to which the drawer is connected have two support rails to which the pull-out rails are connected. The drawer can be pulled out from or retracted into the cabinet by the slide assembly. When the drawer is moved to a pre-set distance in the cabinet, the closing device is used to assist the drawer to be automatically retracted into the cabinet by the contact between the pin member of the pull-out rails and the upwardly open slots in the tiltable members.
Actually, when the pull-out rails are moved longitudinally relative to the support rails, a gap exists in a lateral direction. However, when the slide assembly is connected to a piece of furniture such as a drawer to a cabinet, the lateral gap slightly changes due to installation and tolerance of the parts of the furniture. The change of the lateral gap affects the contact between the pin member of the pull-out rails and the upwardly open slots in the tiltable members, thereby affecting the feature of automatic retraction of the drawer.
Accordingly, it is necessary to provide an adjustment device for adjusting the change of the lateral gap so as to improve the shortcomings of the conventional slide assembly.